America’s Culture Obsession

Turn back the clock and remember times as a child.  Mother would announce that she was heading to the store and you would eagerly accompany her.  You enter the store, palms sweaty with anticipation, just waiting to catch a glimpse of the toy you saw on TV.  You round the bend and there it is; the Gizmo 2000 and you must have it, your life will not be complete without it.  You know this because the TV told you so.  Though this analogy seems a little over the top, it is not fictitious.  In today’s society, the Great American Dream has become bloated.  The time of values, hard work, and a successful life are now gone. Today the Great American Dream has morphed into the Great American Need.

“It (is) fair to say that the current ardor of the American faith in money easily surpasses the degrees of intensity achieved by other societies in other times and places.”  (Source F)  Because of America’s new religion, so much has been lost.   “The pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness” (Source B) has taken on a new meaning.  Americans now believe that things will be their new god, that “enough is not enough, and that something is (always) missing.”  (Source D)  “Our entire culture (believes) that ‘just a little bit more’ will finally but happiness.” (Source F)  and that they are not breeding a wasteful society, but a fulfilled one. 

Some contend that America’s success is not only welcome, but highly beneficial.  (Source G)  They believe that the administration of wealth is essential for the “progress of our race.’ (Source G)  America’s greed however, has become its downfall.  The values that once bound this country together have crumbled and have been replaced by brand-new Sedans, or oversized clutches,   Some say that without ‘charging,’ there cannot be a “Maccenas,’ (source G) but then again, they did not account for America’s hungry desire for objects.

America has created a whole new world for itself where affluenza is its currency. An epidemic has spread throughout the country; there is an abundance of stuff.  One can oly hope that todays society can be content with the little things, instead of rushing out to buy the next Gizmo 2000.

~ by colormegray on April 21, 2008.